Pet apparel and accessories represent an increasingly important category within the pet industry as evidenced by the rapidly growing consumer demand for new styling, better coverage, better fit range, more flexibility, higher quality, value added features and trendy designs.
Demographic shifts in regards to smaller human families and a higher proportion of the population who are finding themselves as empty nesters is moving at an unprecedented rate. This shift is contributing to a heightened importance of pets within the family unit, taking to some extent the place of children and providing around the clock companionship within the family unit and for singles. In this context, the humanization of pets, and by extension the humanization of the pet accessory industry, is in direct correlation to this powerful trend. Pet owners are increasingly sensitive to the potential discomforts experienced by their pets, and looking for solutions much in the same way they would for a human. These same owners are also demonstrating a noticeable sense of pride in procuring and boasting superior quality, good looking and comfortable pet products for their dog or cat.
Within the pet apparel and accessory categories, the ability to properly adjust a garment or any other item onto a dog, for example, to achieve a comfortable, heat efficient and good looking fit is one of the biggest challenges that pet owners face today. Improperly-fitting pet apparel is the leading reason why many dogs and cats do not like to wear them despite the discomforts of extreme cold, direct sun, etc, causing worry to their owners and risk to the animals. And when they do wear the ill-fitting garment, their discomfort causes them to move unnaturally or not at all, and focus their efforts on trying to remove the garment.
In addition, the difficulty that many pet owners experience while attempting to fit their pet info an ill-fitting garment, or a garment with a complex closure system, or a garment without adjustability or elasticity in multiple areas can be significant.
Moreover, certain animal breeds in addition to pets at the extreme ends of the size scale and/or proportion scale do not even fit in the apparel or accessories on the market today.
The present invention provides a solution that can be applied to each challenging component to create a great fitting item, which can be applied to any type of pet apparel (shirt, coat, wrap, and the like) and other accessories such as footwear, collars and harnesses where extendibility positively impacts comfort, fit, length and/or look.
The following are some contributing factors to the need for the present invention:                Brutal and unpredictable winter conditions mean that even pets who do not like to wear weather protection, especially short haired pets, still need to;        The challenges of proper fitting to the varied shapes of pets, and especially mixed breed dogs with disproportionate shapes as well as dogs with excess weight; and        Consumers' increasing desire to dress their pets in comfort and style, the way they would dress their child or themselves.        
Hence, in light of the aforementioned, there is a need for a highly adjustable animal garment which, by virtue of its design and components, would be able to overcome some of the above-mentioned prior art concerns.